Week 3 down, 9 more to go!

So sorry for not writing at all this week! So much happened, but I literally have been so busy/tired that I haven't really felt like or even had the time to even write about everything going on here. First I just wanna say, I hope everyone at home is staying home. I'm not gonna rub in how amazing the weather has been here, but I definitely choice a great semester to study abroad. I'm definitely praying for you all that this winter won't be as bad as we all are anticipating it to be.

 

Monday

Monday was a typical day here in Costa Rica for me. I woke up bright and early at 7, had breakfast with my Tica family and my housemates, went to school until 12pm, came home, went to the gym, had dinner. Generally, on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays, I have the same routine. After dinner on Monday, I went to "Lunes de Cuartel" at a place called El Cuartel in a nearby neighborhood with Sara. We met up with Gio and the rest of some girls from our program. It was so much fun because there was a live band and lots of great music! I definitely started the week off to a great start because I had such an awesome time.

 

Tuesday

Tuesday, was a long day of classes! I literally almost dread going to school on Tuesdays & Thursdays because of how jam-packed my day is! I was very exhausted from going out the night before, so I really wasn't feeling the best at school. After my long day of classes though, I went home to get ready for my very first soccer game! I was very excited because the game I was going to was Costa Rica vs. Guatemala! I think it was particularly exciting because those are the two places in Latin America that I have been too and also because Guatemala stole me heart away 2 summers ago just like Costa Rica is doing now! However, even though they were playing against each other, I had to root for Costa Rica! The game was especially exciting because Costa Rica was winning up until the last 3 minutes, when Guatemala scored and tied the game! But, for my first soccer game, I definitely had an awesome time with all my friends. I found it especially exciting to try and follow what was going on during the game since it was my first one, I was completely shocked at how long the games were! Nevertheless, I was happy that I got a chance to see my first soccer game in Costa Rica.

 

Wednesday

 

Again a normal day. But, Wednesday night AIFS had their first social. We went out to a jazz club for Brazilian Night. We listened to this awesome live band. 2 lives bands in one week! A girl is sure getting lucky in Costa Rica. This night was a lot different than most of the nights I have gone out because I guess on Wednesday's Costa Ricans usually don't go out. Regardless, it was still a very chill night up until I came home and an earthquake woke me up from my sleep! It was about 5.2 and for experiencing my first earthquake was extremely strong! I was definitely pretty scared. My host mom says that unless the earthquake is over 7, I shouldn't have anything to worry about!

 

Thursday

After going out for 3 straight nights in a row, I had to spend Thursday just at home in the house. After dinner, I cuddled up with my blankets and spent the night watching Desperate Housewives on Netflix. Talk about relaxing! Thursday night, there was another earthquake. This one was about 3.2. Very tiny, but I'm not 100% sure if I could get used to normal earthquake occurrences.

 

Friday

I went on a field trip for my Spanish class! 2 field trips int he past 3 weeks since I have been in Costa Rica! Obviously very exciting. We went to a wood shop. It was really cool because in this wood shop, they company basically makes things like jewelry, key chains, etc. out of wood from cut trees. They do the entire process in their shop. It was so neat. One of the other neat things, is that the entire tour was in Spanish, and I was able to understand almost everything that was said! I definitely think that this Spanish thing is starting to become almost second nature to me. But, I finally was able to buy one souvenir and my postcards (once I figure out the postage situation here, I will be able to mail them out!) After coming back from the field trip, I went downtown with Jen, Court, and Cam! We checked out a hotel nearby school and then went to lunch. Afterwards, Jen and Court and I went to get some ice cream! It was delicious. I came home and again was so tired to go out that I just decided to stay in! Two relaxing nights in a row, it literally doesn't get any better than that!

 

Saturday

We had our last AIFS excursion. This one was actually a day trip. First we went to a coffee plantation. Coffee isn't exactly my cup of tea, but I definitely enjoyed the view from the plantation! There were tons of amazing flowers surrounding the plantation. I have never seen anything more beautiful before. Afterwards, we went to Poaz Volcano. We literally couldn't see it because of all the fog surrounding it. But, eventually the fog passed and we were able to see it very clearly for about 5 minutes. The view was pretty cool. Afterwards we went to La Paz Waterfall and had a buffet lunch. It was amazing! I got so full and then went searching for animals with my friends. We saw jaguars, frogs, butterflies, and even birds. The highlight of the day was definitely getting a toucan to sit on my shoulder! Definitely, I think that was the highlight of my entire trip! Afterwards, we went home and then I hung out with some friends for the evening. After two nights in, it was definitely nice to just hang out and have a good time.

 

Sunday

Today, was a very chill day. I slept in :) and then Jen, Court, Sara, Cam, Shayna, and I went to get food and sit at the nearby park. It was really nice to get out of the house and explore my neighborhood a bit. Before heading home, we stopped to get some ice cream! Talk about delicious. Then, I headed home and spent the rest of the day in bed. I definitely love all of the free time I was able to get this week.

 

This week will be a bit interesting. I have my final for my Spanish class on Friday and I also have my Human Rights class cancelled on Thursday! This weekend I am taking a trip to Nicaragua! Definitely looking forward to visiting another country in Central America! I will definitely be sure to write more. Writing about a whole week in a day is definitely very time-consuming! I hope everyone is staying very warm or at least trying to stay warm!

 

Aracelis

Excursion Numero Dos

This weekend I had my second excursion with AIFS to Manuel Antonio which is right off of the Pacific Ocean! I was really looking forward to this trip because I was finally going to be able to get to the beach and get my tan on!

 

Friday started off a bit stressful. I had my first midterm and surprisingly it was very easy! I'm a little anxious to get my grade but I am sure I did fine. There was only about 10 questions that I was unsure of. But, I feel like I definitely have learned so much and I am looking forward to learning more within the next two weeks before my Basic 2 class ends. After the test, it was off to Manuel Antonio. Along the way, we stopped and got a chance to see some crocodiles! There were at least 20 crocodiles just sleeping in the water. After checking out the crocs, we finally arrived to Manuel Antonio, checked into our hotels and went to the beach to catch the sunset! After that, we went to dinner and then out to a discoteca. Since the entire AIFS group was going to the discoteca, we managed to get 21 people fit into one van. Talk about interesting! The best part about the discoteca was that they played American music! It was literally the best 30 minutes of rap/hip-hop music ever!

 

Saturday we woke up bright and early to eat breakfast and go to the National Park. At the National Park, we walked through the forest and saw lizards, spiders, and monkeys! Then we arrived to the private beach which was beautiful! I literally have never seen a more beautiful beach in my life. The water was amazing and with the sun out, it felt amazing too. After being at the private beach for a bit, we then went to get food. We decided to go to a particular restaurant simply because they offered a 2 for 1 on Margaritas and Daiquiris! But, the food was amazing and I definitely had the second best meal since I have been in Costa Rica. We left the restaurant and went to the Public Beach. We hung out there for a bit before getting ready to go to dinner. For dinner we went to Pizza Pata's. Seriously I had the best pizza in the world! It was even better than Father and Son's (my favorite Pizza place in Chicago). Then, I went to get some ice cream with Court, Jen, and Luis! It tasted amazing as well. Then it started pouring raining for the second night in the row! We stayed at Jen's hotel for a bit while we waited for the rain to let up. While we were waiting Luis tried to teach me how to Salsa...definitely didn't really work out very well, however, I think I still have a foundation set up. I think I might actually start going to the Dance lessons on Tuesday and Thursday at school. I finally went back to my hotel and got in bed!

 

Today, I woke up with the worst sunburn of my life. Literally my entire body is burnt excepts for what was covered up by my swimsuit! After breakfast, everyone went to the beach, but I decided to stay in bed to try to get some rest. I couldn't really get comfortable to go to sleep with my burn so I was pretty restless. I will probably have this issue tonight as well because I won't have a chance to get some aloe until tomorrow. But, nevertheless, I was able to rest for a bit before packing my stuff, getting lunch, and heading back home.

 

Despite the horrible sunburn, I had an amazing weekend at the beach. Great food. Great hotel. Awesome time. On another note, its hard to believe I've officially been here for 2 whole weeks! Time is definitely flying by. This week I am excited to finally check out a football game on Tuesday night! That will probably be the next time I write.

 

Until then,

Aracelis

First Field Trip :)

I would have written Tuesday or even Wednesday but both of those days nothing exciting happened. I woke up, went to school, came home, and hung out in my room. Generally that is how my days go. Tuesdays and Thursdays I am at school from 8am-5pm so by the time I come home, I am generally too exhausted to do anything! Mondays and Wednesdays I only have school form 8am-12pm, so those are the days I generally try to go to the gym since I have more time to get a decent workout in. For this month, every weekend I am going on an Excursion. This weekend we are going to Manuel Antonio. I am superrequetemacrohiper (very very very--I learned this in my Spanish class this week) excited because I'll finally get a chance to lay out at the beach and get my tan on! I mean it's only taken 2 weeks, but I've finally gonna get some color. :)

 

Anyways, today I went on a field trip! Field trips are extremely exciting for me because since I have been in college, this is only my second one! (My first one was last semester) It was for my Human Rights Class. We went to downtown San Jose and walked around to different locations where my teacher described and told us really interesting stories about the different Costa Rican political figures and how they relate to human rights. This was very interesting because I got a chance to learn more about Costa Rica and I also got a chance to see more of downtown. I can officially say that I know the way to get to downtown from my school and back!

 

Today was also very exciting because I got my first Spanish quiz back, and I got an 85%. I didn't really study much for that quiz, but I definitely am learning a lot at school and I already feel like my Spanish is improving. I finally talked for a little bit tonight at dinner. Usually I never say anything, but for some reason today, I just got excited and wanted to ask a few questions. i definitely think the Spanish is getting better for me and I can really tell that my Mama Tica was very excited to hear me saying a few things. Today I also had my first oral presentation in Spanish. I think it is safe to say that me and Rachael killed it! We definitely make a great team and I am super confident that we got a good grade :)

 

All in all, this week has been pretty chill and exciting. It definitely went by so quickly! I can't believe it's Thursday night already. The past two nights I have been in bed before 11:30 and tonight is no exception! I am finally catching up on sleep, waking up at 8am 5 days a week for school is starting to really kick me butt! Tomorrow I am going out of town for the weekend to Manuel Antonio & I will be back Sunday. I'll be sure to update my blog and upload lots of photos either Sunday night or Monday!

 

Hope everyone back home is staying warm!

Aracelis

One Week Down!

So, I have officially been in Costa Rica for about a week! Today I woke up very tired from the weekend's activities. I went to school and in my Basic 2 class, my professor came up to me and Rachel (my Concordia Texas friend) and told us that we were really good students and that she is really glad that we are in her class and we are doing really good. It's only been a week and I'm already Teacher's Pet! I'll take it! In all seriousness though, I really like this class and I think the professor is really great, I can definietly say she ranks in the top 5 of my favorite teachers.

 

After class I met up with Courtney and we went to downtown San Jose. She needed to go to a museum for one of her classes and I didn't have anything to do, so I decided to join. We actually remembered the way to walk downtown and the way to go and everything! At first I was really hesitant that we wouldn't remember or at least that I wouldn't remember but I did! When we got to the museum, we found out that it was actually closed. Luckily, there was another museum close by. This museum charged somewhere between 4,000 and 8,000 colones (that is about 8-16 dollars). Obviously, I didn't need to go to the museum, so I didn't really want to pay for it and the rest of the people in Courtney's group decided that it would be cheaper if they just split the cost for one person to go in to the museum to take the pictures of their assignment. They figured that all out and the rest of us went to go find something to eat. We found a Subway nearby and while I was hesitant to eat American food because of the bad experience I had on Saturday, but we went in and got food. It was especially difficult to order in Spanish because I don't really know a lot of the words for vegetables. So, I did the best I could and I was able to get everything I wanted on my sandwich. It tasted pretty decent but I can still tell the difference between how a Subway sandwich in America would taste. We finally left downtown and I arrived back to my house.

 

My Mama Tica did my laundry from over the weekend so I put those away and got ready to go to the Diamond Gym with Jennifer and Courtney. We bought the membership last week but with the excursion this past weekend, today was the first say we have been able to go. After being there for about an hour and starting my week off great with a workout, we went back to our houses and I was free for the rest of the evening to rest and do homework. Surprisingly, my mosquito bites aren't as itchy as I assumed they would all be. Fingers crossed, I can get them to go away by this weekend!

 

Tomorrow is a long day of school, Jen and Courtney and I are checking out a new place to get cheap food for lunch near our school tomorrow. But, other than that I don't really anticipate much happening. So, I might write tomorrow or I might not. But, I'll be sure to write soon!

 

Aracelis

Excursion Numero Uno!

Sorry I didn't get a chance to post this yesterday. I was so tired when I got home last night from all of this weekend's festivities.



It started on Friday morning. I woke up and finished packing for my weekend trip to Arenal & Monteverde. I went to class and then afterwards we left for Arenal at 1pm. It was about a super long and bumpy drive to Arenal. It definitely reminded me of driving around in Guatemala! After the long drive, we arrived in Arenal at our hotel. Of course, I experienced my second piece of luck on this trip when I got the biggest room in the hotel. I was sharing it with one other person and I had 2 full size beds, 1 king size bed, a private balcony, and 2 bathrooms! After getting settled in the hotel we left for Baldi Hot Springs. The Hot Springs was basically like an outdoor water resort. It had about 3 different pools at different temperatures. It was awesome to finally get a chance to get in the water and get away from school for the weekend! After swimming around for a bit, we had a buffet dinner in Hot Springs, which was very delicious. But, I keep forgetting to take pictures of all the great food I eat! After dinner, we went back to the hotel and my group of friends got ready to go out. We went to two different bars and afterwards we hung out in the hotel's casino for a few hours dancing, listening to music, and just hanging out. For the first night away, it was actually pretty fun!

 

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early to go to La Fortuna Waterfall. Our hotel was only about 20 minutes. Once we arrived, we had to hike down to actually get to the waterfall. The hike down was pretty decent and was definitely worth it once we saw how beautiful the waterfall was! We took lots of pictures and some people even got in the water.  I'm not the type of girl who likes to get my hair wet or who likes super cold water, so I didn't get in the water at all. But, it was still nice to take lots of pictures. Afterwards, we had a nice long hike up which definitely was not fun! In fact, that was probably the worst part of the day! We went back to the hotel and got ready to check out. We weren't leaving for Monteverde until 2 but, since it is a 5 hour drive from Arenal to Monteverde, our bags left before us and we were going to take a boat ride that would take far less time than 5 hours! In between the time we left we left for Monteverde, we had a chance to stop and get lunch. We went to a place called Some Good Food and I have been craving American food! I thought that getting a Bacon Cheeseburger would be a great choice, however it wasn't! I definitely learned my lesson and I'll just wait to get my American food in the airport in Miami on my way back home in April! We left the restaurant, went back to the hotel, and left on a shuttle to catch the boat. I was able to take a 20 minute siesta (nap) on the way to the river because I was so tired! The boat ride was sooooo beautiful! I took lots and lots of pictures and I was also able to see the Arenal Volcano! Definitely beautiful! Once we got off the boat, we still had an hour drive to get to Monteverde and check in at our hotel. We went out to dinner and after the bad lunch I had, I decided to just stick to Costa Rican food. I had the best dinner since I have been in Costa Rica. It was very delicious and of course I forgot to take a picture of it again! After dinner, we went to a bar/restaurant called Tree House where I had the most delicious Strawberry Daiquiri! It was so delicious! We then went to a bar/discoteca where we stayed for a few hours! The group spent a lot of time dancing and enjoying each others company! There were lost of Ticos there and even another big group of Americans! It was a very fun night as well. Probably the best night since I have been in Costa Rica!

 

 

Sunday morning I woke up again bright and early for breakfast and we left for the Canopy Tour in the Monteverde Cloud Forest. It is basically just zip lining and it was so much fun! I was super scared though because of how high up I was, but it was still pretty fun and I was able to do something that I have never done before. At the end of the zip lining, there was a Tarzan Swing which was similar to bungee jumping. Somehow, I got talked into doing it, whcih in the end, I was really happy becuase I was able to do something that I have never done before. I was super scared, but at the end of the day, it was a great experience and I wouldn't trade it for anything! After the canopy tour, we returned back to the hotel and checked out. We got lunch before heading back on our super long drive back to San Jose. I finally returned home around 6 and I was super exhausted and starving and I still had so much homework to do! I ate dinner with my Mama Tica and my roommate Katherine and I actually got a chance to speak a little bit of Spanish to her. I think it is slowly getting a little bit better with being confident with my Spanish. 

Overall, I had an awesome weekend! The only part that really sucked is that I now have 12 mosquito bites on my right arm. Yep, 12! I didn't think it was that possible to have that many only on one arm. Nevertheless, I finally have my little group of friends established, and I was able to enjoy myself without feeling super stressed out with school or anything. Its crazy to think that I am leaving here in almost 11 weeks, but I am still enjoying the time I have here and trying to learn as much as I can! I'll write more tonight after dinner about what I did today!

Nothing like a good old Costa Rican Party

Today was a normal Thursday, filled with all of my classes & me wanting a nap pronto! But, the school actually had a party for all of the International Students filled with food, drinks, music, and lost of surprises. It was definitely a very fun night because it was the first night I actually have gotten the chance to go out and actually do something other than just stay in my house.

Concordia in the house!

At the Party with Courtney & my new Concordia Texas friends!

I met up with Courtney at the party and we got some of the food. It definitely wasn't the good cooking that I have been receiving from my Mama Tica, but it was sufficient for the night. Next, we tried the cerveza (beer). It was definitely very disgusting. Pretty much everyone I talked to said it was very disgusting and it had a really bad aftertaste (Which it did!). But, since it was free, everyone kept drinking it, except me. There was no way I could continue to drink it. After about an hour and a half, the school ran out of beer and went out to by some more. Definitely interesting because I don't think I have ever been at a school function where they served us beer. I mean, I guess it is different here because the legal drinking age is 18, so technically all of us are of age. But still it was very weird. While at the party, there were two dance groups that came and performed. They were really good but boy do I feel bad for the people who live near the school. The music was sooo loud!

 

One of the groups performing at the party

The party lasted until 10pm, but some friends and I decided to go check out a bar near my house. Apparently, all of the international students decided to check out this bar too and I literally stayed for 10 minutes to socialize because I decided to leave. The place was so tiny, that it was too many people to even walk around in. I left the bar and went across the street to get some food. It was actually really good! I walked home after eating to work on homework and finish packing for my weekend excursion trip. I am going to Monteverde and Arenal. I am definitely super excited to get away and enjoy the weekend!

 

I'll write more Sunday about my weekend adventure!

Day 2 of Classes

Today was a very slow day. I only had my Spanish language class and we watched the movie La Familia, it was a pretty good movie and I believe I have actually seen it before in one of my Spanish classes back home in the past. Lucky for me, I got a 2 page paper assigned for homework about the movie! (NOT). I was very surprised at how quickly the homework load gets very quickly. But, since the class is only for a month, I figure it won't be too bad. After class, I met up with Jen and Courtney for lunch then we went to go check out the nearby gym. It definitely doesn't compare to FFC (the gym I work at in Chicago) but it will work for the time that I am here to continue my training. We were able to take a look around the gym and after contemplating if we should actually get a membership, we just decided that it would be worth it since it is only 400m away from our school and Courtney's Tica Dad said it was a pretty nice gym.

 

After coming back from the gym, I came back to my house and took a much needed nap! I haven't been getting much sleep here because I wake up every morning by 7am to get ready for school and I am so used to staying up kind of late at home. I basically just stayed at home the rest of the evening after my nap doing homework and watching Desperate Housewives on Netflix. Tomorrow should be eventful since I have all three of my classes and the school is throwing us a party in the evening. That's all I have for tonight.

 

Aracelis

First Day of Classes

Today was a great day because it was my first day of classes at school. I went to school a little bit early today so that I could find my class and arrive on time for the first day. My first class is Basic Spanish 2. This class meets everyday, Monday through Friday from 8am to 12pm. Luckily I get a thirty minute break in between. But, the class is so fun that the time literally flies by. In this class, I actually met someone who is from Concordia Texas! It definitely felt kind of nice to have someone from one of the Concordia's in my class. During the break, I had to find my Resident Director, Elizabeth, so she can fix my classes. I was able to add another class to my schedule and get everything straightened out. The cool thing about this class is that it is only going to be one month long. At the beginning of February, I will get a new class that will also be one month long.

 

My second class, Basic Oral Communication,  is actually taught by the same professor who teaches my first class. This class is every Tuesday and Thursday from 1pm-3pm. This class lasts the entire time I will be in Costa Rica. This will be nice because I think it will really help me converse in Spanish better. This class is very small, there is only 5 students in the class which I think will help to make it more individualized and specific to what we need to work on and improve when it comes to speaking.

 

My third class, Human Rights in Latin America, is actually really interesting. This is my only class in English! It meets every Tuesday and Thursday from 3pm-5pn and it also lasts the entire time I will be in Costa Rica. This class has a lot of students and the professor is actually from England! It makes me feel even better because English is her first language and I think the class will actually allow me to be in my comfort zone more. This class also has two field trips which I am looking forward to because since I have been at Concordia, I have only ever had 1 field trip! I think that is probably one of the things I miss most about high school and grade school. Field trips are always fun because they help to stimulate what you are learning in the classroom. The only downside to this class is that I feel like it might be a lot of work.

 

However, I think I have a pretty awesome schedule because on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I am done with school after 12pm. In March, I will only have two classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1pm-5pm and the rest of the week I will be free. It will be nice to get time to focus on my training and on exploring more in Costa Rica.

 

Today after school, my roommates and I decided to go to the local Walmart. For the first time in my life, I think I went into a store and bought only what I was going into the store for. Usually I always walk out with extra stuff, but not today! I made a list and actually stuck to it. On the way back from Walmart, a cab driver tried to take advantage of us because we were American. Luckily we noticed the situation and took it into our own hands. Next time, I'll know exactly how to handle the situation in case this happens again. After returning to the house, we ate dinner and my two roommates went to a dance class while I just stayed in a relaxed at home. I've been so tired from all the eventful activities, that I haven't really gotten the chance to sleep more. I am definitely looking forward to going away this weekend so that I can get some sleep and relax without stressing out too much.

 

Tomorrow, I only have my Basic 2 class in the morning and afterwards, Jen and Courtney (my two friends from AIFS) are going to go check out the gym and try to get set up there. The sooner I can start my training here, the better! I definitely am feeling a bit homesick because I do miss my teammates and being at my own school. But, I am going to have an amazing experience here and I definitely am super grateful that I get this opportunity. Sorry, this lacks pictures and isn't as long as the other posts. I am literally fighting to stay away and write this right now. But, I'm off to bed and I'm excited to see what day 3 in Costa Rica has in store for me!

 

Aracelis 

Day 1 down...many more to go!

Catching some ZZZs at the super
long orientation presentation

Talk about an overwhelming day! Last night I ended up going to bed around 2am and then I woke up at 6am this morning. I didn't really have to be awake until 7am, so I'm not too sure why I decided to wake up. But, I had breakfast made by my Mamá Tica. I ate fruit, bread, ham, eggs, and orange juice. After breakfast, my Mamá Tica walked with me and my other two roommates, Katherine and Janelin, to Veritas University. We had to be there at 8 for our orientation. When we arrived at the orientation, since I had already taken my oral placement test and my written test before I came here, I was basically free until 10am. I got a campus tour and then afterwards a group of us wandered around the campus to try and find out where everything was. Since most people still had to take their placement test, my list of classes wasn't ready until later on in the evening. After the tour and wandering around, AIFS had an orientation where everyone from my organization met up and get packets of information about the Excursions we are going on during this semester. We also took a walk to the AIFS office where The Resident Director and her assistant will be basically if we need anything. Afterwards, we sat in the auditorium for about 2 hours listening to a lot of information on safety, rules, etc. Since I didn't get that much sleep last night, I literally started falling asleep during the presentations.



Papaya Drink :)

Next, we had pizza for lunch. Afterwards, AIFS took us on a city tour around downtown San Jose. Downtown is only about 2 miles away from where I live at. It was really cool to hear some of the history behind Costa Rica and also to hear more about the culture. During the city tour we drove around in a bus, and then after about 2 hours, the bus dropped us off so we can walk back to our town. They wanted us to know the way to walk back so we can know where we are going when we decide to go downtown. On the walk back, we made a few stops so we could take pictures. I didn't really take any pictures because I figured since I am going to be here for the next 3 months, I'll have plenty of opportunities to go back downtown to take more pictures. We stopped at a restaurant where we got drinks. I got a papaya drink which was very delicious! We also stopped at another building where the Costa Rican flag was and we took a group photo.  Everyone in my group is really nice and I have even made a few friends that I plan on working out with and hanging out with outside of school!

 

Once we got back to school, we were finally able to check our classes. They only had our electives posted though. Those are going to be taking place in the afternoons. Our morning Spanish classes weren't posted yet, so I will find out tomorrow before class where my classroom is. Unfortunately, they kinda of messed up my classes a bit and only registered me for 3 instead of 4. So tomorrow, I have to get that straightened out and add another class. After checking out the classes, my roommates and I got a chance to walk back to our house on our own. Surprisingly, I remembered where it was and how to get there! Once at home, I ate dinner with my host family and out Mamá Tica went over all of the rules with us. There really aren't many rules, the main one is just to be respectful of everyone living in the house.

 

Tomorrow's my first day of classes, and I am a little nervous actually because unlike Concordia, I have no idea what to expect. I'll have my Spanish class in the morning and then in the afternoon I'll have one of my electives. So far, I haven't spoken much Spanish. My host family doesn't really speak English so right now it is a little difficult for me to communicate to them and understand everything they say. But, my Mamá Tica says that after 2 weeks, I should be fine! I sure hope so, because I definitely feel pretty lost around here with the small language barrier. But, I'll write more tomorrow. Now, I need to finally unpack my suitcase and get ready for bed!

 

Aracelis

 

Bienvenida a Costa Rica

So it's finally Sunday, January 6, 2013.

Me at O'hare airport after

getting my plane tickets.

 

Remember how I said, I was going to get all of my packing done on Friday? Well, if you know me well, then you know that didn't actually happen. I finished packing around 1:00 this morning. It took me forever only because I wanted to be sure I didn't forget anything. I mean after all, I am going to be living in Costa Rica for the next 3 months!

 

Here's a summary of today's events!

 

The best part about flying: My first class plane ticket!

I woke up bright and early at 8am and of  course I needed to drive to Target because I forgot the post important part of the trip: a camera! Luckily, I was able to find one for pretty cheap and I get everything I needed for it. I finished my last minute packing and I was also able to wash a small load of clothes before my mom picked me up at 10. We arrived at the airport and when I checked in, to my surprise I had First Class/ Business Class tickets. I allowed AIFS to book my tickets so I was super shocked. Along with these tickets came priority seating, first class seats, etc. Normally, I would be super excited to use all of this priority treatment; but, since it is Sunday, the airport is super slow anyways and I don't mind waiting in the normal lines. My plane to Dallas was supposed to leave at 12:50, but it continued to get pushed back first to 1:10 then to 1:30. If I missed my flight into Dallas, I wouldn't be able to get to Costa Rica until Monday at 8pm. Apparently they only have one flight going out of Dallas each day. While waiting in Chicago, I received a text that my Dallas flight to Costa Rica also got delayed to from 4:05 to 6:10. Luckily, I was given a sigh of relief as my prayers to make it to Costa Rica was answered.

Dinner on the Plane to Costa Rica

Dinner on the Plane to Costa Rica

I'm sure you are all dying to know how First Class is. Well, honestly it is very similar to the normal seats on the plane. There is more leg room and there is also a little bit more room for table trays. However, the main difference is the service. The flight attendants come around and ask if you want them to hang up their coats. Then before the flight takes off, they ask if you would like water or orange juice. Once the flight is in the air, they bring you a warm towel and they begin passing out beverages, they come around to take your order and then bring your your drink along with a cup full of warm nuts. After a while they bring around two choices of a lunch meal and you can take your pick. Finally, they bring around two choices of cookies for dessert and then bring a mint. During this flight, I didn't really take advantage of the food but I was able to get a little nap in :)  During my Dallas flight, however, I took fill advantage of the food. For my dinner, I got chicken and rice. For being airplane food, it was actually pretty good


My Dallas flight ended up being delayed too so I didn't get here to Costa Rica until about 10:30 and I finally arrived at my house at 12. I have to wake up bright and early tomorrow for orientation at school. I'll write more tomorrow for sure!

Goodnight :)

T- 24 hours

I've been planning for this trip for the past year and now it's finally down to the wire. 48 hours until takeoff. I'm really feeling a plethora of emotions right now. I'm scared out of my mind, nervous, anxious, and most importantly really excited. Since Tuesday, I have been frantically trying to get everything together. I still have so much to do including packing, which is on the list of things to do today! The main reason why I've left packing until today is because today is my first off day all week. I have been working everyday this week and I finally was able to sleep in until about 12 today :) But nevertheless, today will be filled with packing, cleaning my room, spending time with my family, etc. Tomorrow I have to work and then Sunday will be spent in airports and on planes. Because I've been so busy, it hasn't really set in that I once I leave on Sunday, I will be living in Costa Rica for the next 3 months. It is going to be a very unique experience because it is going to be my first time away from home for an extended period of time. It is going to be a time of growth, adventure, and learning. I'm really excited and I can't wait to share my experiences with all of you. The next time I write will probably be Sunday night after I arrive in Costa Rica at my host family's house. So, until then, prayers for safe travels will be greatly appreciated. :)